Combination weight box and guide for elevator gates and the like



Feb. l0, 1948. N. R. GUILBERT, .JR

COMBINATION WEIGHT BOX AND GUIDE FOR ELEVATOR GATES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 26, 1945A /N VE N TOR :4 TTORN E Y Patented Feb. l0, 1948 bl PAT F FI C E 2,435,779 eGMEINANWIGHr B0X AND1- Fort ELEvAToRGATEs AND THE Linn` Nalolasimzdiibert, Jr., chestnut lInit-Pa; application obtener. 26, 1945; serial .Nm 624.196

rif-eight e1eveto1-siare "customarily provideciwith vertically slidable 'gatesd'nstrairi'd "move" ina denmte' path-by some-form efgiaing means and counterbalanced by weights= disposedad'ja'cent each side of"the gate an'dl'respeetively connected entirely: of-,metaLis oiextremely; simple construction; occupies' a mlnimumof rdoniwhiclt :maybe arranged to permit ready access to the weights for inspection or adjustment and which provides a rigid and ellcient guide or track for the guide clips carried by the gate by means of which, through cooperation with the track, it is held at all times in vertical position.

Other objects and novel features of design, construction and arrangement comprehended by the invention are hereinafter more particularly pointed out or will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of my combined weight box and gate guide with a column of weights suspended therein, a part of the guide being broken away to facilitate illustration:

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view showing brackets associated with the device for securing it in the elevator hatchway; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section substantially on line 3-3 in Fig, 2 with a portion of the gate and one of its guide clips indicated in dotted lines in cooperative association with the guide or track afforded by the invention.

Like characters of reference are used to indicate the same parts in the several ligures.

More particularly and as shown in the drawing, my combined weight box and gate guide essentially comprises two complementa] members each preferably formed of sheet metal and generally designated as I, 2. Member I is of rectangular channel shape comprising two parallel sides A3, 4 and a base. 5, the metal being of sufliciently heavy gauge to insure the requisite stiffness. The other member 2, vpreferably formed of lighter gauge metal since its duty is less than that of member l, is of right angle section and so comprises sides 6, 'I, the former having a narrow inwardly turned flange 8 on its free edge vlli extending paralleltoside 'I,whilethe flatter. likewise. has 1a' narrow outwardly turned flange -9 at its,freeedge,extendingenormal to they side `and thusparallel-,to side 6. BothA 0f thefmembers desirablyjare respectively sol proportioned that the overall distance betweenthefree edge ofv ilan'ge S andf the. outer'face: offlange. 8 .of member 2 parallel to side 'I of the said member and thus' forms a guide extending for the length of the device adapted to be received between the arms a-a of a gate clip C of ordinary construction secured to the lateral edge of an elevator gate G as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The two members I, 2 may be operatively secured together in any suitable way as by welding flanges 8, 9 of member 2 to the adjacent portions of member I after the members are assembled, or flange 9 and the base of member I may be drilled at longitudinally spaced intervals for the passage of bolts I0 carrying nuts II on their extremities, in which case flange 8 is usually not connected with the adjacent side 3 of member I but merely rests against the latter. To facilitate assembly of the members when the separable or bolted construction is employed, bolts Ii) are preferably provided with square heads the diagonale of which are a little longer than the width oi the space between side 4 of member I and side 1 of member 2 so that the heads will jam between these parts and so obviate the necessity of holding them with a wrench while nuts II are ,being set up.

Since in most installations lt is desirable to permit access to the column of weights W which are suspended Within the casing formed by the juxtaposed members I, 2, the separable construction just described may be advantageously employed in the lower half of the combined weight box and guide so member 2 may be removed to expose the weights when they are in lowered position, while the non-separable construction in 5.5 which the members are welded together may be Side 4 of member I isv used in the upper half o1 the assembly as indicated in Fig. 1.

The device may be supported in operative position adjacent the path of gate G in any convenient Way as, for example and as shown, by angle brackets B Welded at intervals to the base of member I and bolted to the Wall of the hatchway o1' other convenient part of the building structure S, one devicebeing of course installed on each side of the hatchvvay With guides 4 in alignment for reception in the guide clips on the respectively adjacentsides of the gate, thus forming tracks which through cooperation with the clips constrain the gate to'rnove inr a vertical path as it ls raised and lowered.A

It Will now be apparent the invention provides a combined Weight box and gate guide of simple design which may be produced at relatively 10W cost and is extremely eliicient for its intended.

4 be employed with equal utility in connection with vertically slidable doors or the like whether forming part of an elevator or some other type of structure.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

A combined Weight box and guide for elevator gates comprising an elongated member of rectangular channel section, a second member of right angle section having an outturned flange on one longitudinal edge and an inturned ange on the other and lying substantially within the rst member with its outturned flange abutting to the channel member, a third member substantrack or guide 4 beingintegral vwith that portance as owing to its `position it is frequently called on to resist the impact v,of trucks and the llike While they are being moved`into and out of the elevator/by careless Workmen. `While I. have herein referred more particu- `larly to the use of the invention in connection with elevator gates, it will be appreciated it may REFERENCES CITED e The following references are of record in the le of this patent: .1

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number i Name Date 2,023,047 Ganoe Dec. 3, 1935, 1,929,692V Johnson Oct. 10, 1933 1,335,104 -Fouhy' Mar. 3o, 1920 

